BG volleyball team wins, but coach is in Greece
9/16/2004BOWLING GREEN - Bowling Green State University's volleyball team won four straight matches to claim the West Virginia Invitational last weekend.
Too bad coach Denise Van De Walle wasn't there to see it.
Van De Walle was in Greece coaching the National Sitting Volleyball team in the Paralympic Games and won't return until the end of the month. When she returns, she'll hear plenty of good news.
At West Virginia last weekend the Falcons won all but two of the 14 games they played in beating High Point (3-0) and Robert Morris (3-1) on Saturday, then the host school (3-1) and Delaware State (3-0) on Sunday.
Senior middle hitter Melissa Mohr was named tournament MVP after recording 43 kills, four solo blocks and 18 block assists. She posted a .224 hitting percentage and also had 45 digs in 14 games.
Mohr also was named the MAC's volleyball player of the week for her efforts.
Freshman middle hitter Stephanie Swiger, a Findlay product, joined Mohr on the all-tournament team. She recorded 45 kills and had a team-best .311 hitting percentage while adding 11 total blocks.
Tomorrow and Saturday the Falcons will play in the Raider Challenge at Wright State.
PICKEREL LEADS GOLFERS: Senior Craig Pickerel tied for second overall as the BG men's golf team finished sixth at the John Piper Intercollegiate played at Stone Ridge.
Pickerel, a Genoa native, fired rounds of 72-69-69 for a six-under 210 to tie Marquette's Jon Weber for second, two shots behind medalist Chris Shuford of Longwood University.
The BG men will waste little time returning to action as they play in the Northern Intercollegiate Golf Invitational at Wisconsin Saturday and Sunday.
The women's team will play host for the Falcon Invitational at BGSU's Forrest Creason Saturday and Sunday.
GETTING THEIR KICKS: The Falcons will join soccer teams to play host for three games at Coch-
rane Field this weekend.
The women will begin MAC play vs. Ohio tomorrow starting at 4 p.m., then will play Marshall Saturday at 1 p.m. The men, who play at Michigan tomorrow, then take on Western Illinois Sunday starting at 3:30 p.m.
After opening the season with a 7-3 victory over Duquesne - a contest in which Kristy Coppes tied a MAC record by scoring six goals - the Falcon women have lost five straight by a combined score of 12-1.
The men's team has lost six straight after winning a pair of season-opening exhibition games, and the Falcons have been shut out in their last three contests.
Contact John Wagner at:
jwagner@theblade.com
or 419-724-6481.